Guidelines (checklist) for more gender diversity & sexual diversity in your club or sports organization
INTRO
These guidelines are intended to support clubs and associations in the popular sports sector in breaking down exclusions and barriers and opening up to people of all gender and sexual identities. A club or association that considers and welcomes all people is a great asset. The focus is on measures that are simple and practicable and require few resources so that they can actually be implemented in grassroots sport.
Ultimately, everyone can only benefit from this! Values such as respect, protection from exclusion and discrimination are not just basic human rights, but something that benefits everyone: more diversity in the club brings more athletes, more satisfaction and identification with the club. Social recognition and social participation make children and young people happier people, and in the long term, a respectful environment can also lead to better sporting performance.
The aim is to make it possible for people, regardless of their origin, gender, gender or sexual identity, skin color, social background or religion, to safely practice the sport they love.
FAIRPLAY – INITIATIVE FOR DIVERSITY & ANTIDISCRIMINATION
· @fairplayinitiative · https://www.fairplay.or.at
We can all make a contribution, step by step!
Relevant terms and definitions
The topic of gender and sexual diversity covers a lot – from sexual orientation and variations in physical sex characteristics to my lived identity. You can find out more about the most relevant terms and concepts in our -> FACTSHEET DIVERSITY
Implementing gender diversity in everyday sport presents us with challenges for which we want to try to find solutions together. These can look very different and it is clear that we cannot change everything overnight. But we can address the issue openly and work together to see what can be done to break down barriers at various levels of sport. Change comes about by tackling an issue, even small steps are an important contribution and, unfortunately, turning in the wrong direction is also part of the process.
Background & why sport should do something
Currently, people are excluded from sport because of their gender identity. Sport is based on the idea that there are two clear and unchangeable genders (men/boys & women/girls), but the reality is more diverse. For example, there are trans* and intersex people or people who cannot or do not want to assign themselves to one of the two genders (non-binary). Grassroots sport has the task of being there for everyone and enabling everyone to take part in sport. Clubs and associations should therefore consider how they can become more inclusive and reduce the exclusion of social groups as much as possible.
Why clubs & associations should/must do something: Diversity and anti-discrimination, in particular gender diversity, are issues that sport must address at all levels:
- There are human rights and the right to participation and inclusion also applies to sport
- There is a need and demand from currently excluded groups.
- There is a clear call to action from the IOC to the international federations to come up with sport-specific solutions that make sense for sport on the one hand and are inclusive and anti-discriminatory on the other.
- As an association, I can gain members & acceptance and make a significant contribution to an open, diverse society.
You can find out more about the background and why all this is an issue for sport here -> FACTSHEET VIELFALT
Every sports organization, every sport, is different and they can act at different levels – and they all make a significant contribution. For example, clubs can open up in their everyday training and make their sports offerings inclusive, professional associations can act as role models, train coaches and adapt regulations, umbrella organizations can advise and support their clubs in this process and, together with sports policy, shape funding and guidelines against the exclusion of people in sport.
Best practice examples from Europe
-> -> Europe-wide examples of what is being done at various levels for more gender and sexual diversity can be found here, in our –> GOOD PRACTICE REPORT
For example, the two associations Skate Austria and the German Football Association, or the clubs ballerin*s or Vienna Roller Derby.
How trans* and non-binary people can fare in sport
If you want to know more about the topic of sport and gender, and how trans* and non-binary people are currently doing in many sports clubs and what barriers they face, you can read the brochure “Participation of trans* and non-binary people in sport” (Netzwerk Geschlechtliche Vielfalt Trans* NRW 2022).
IN GENERAL
Which should be considered in general, and perhaps makes trading easier…
- Nobody expects everything to work the same way every time
- We can’t know everything: Ask questions, seek dialog, clarify needs!
- Approach the topic openly – the first step is always taken at some point
- There is no universal solution for some things – look for and try out ways together
- Making mistakes together and learning from them is ok – not doing nothing for fear of making mistakes!
- Live diversity as normality and not as a special case
- Get support from experts
- Seek dialog: Some LGBTIQ+ people who are already active in your sport may be willing to support you in making your club more open
STAKEHOLDERS: Which stakeholders in sport can do what?
- Clubs: Offers & inclusive club culture, contact persons & premises
- National associations: coach training & further education; regulations & competition rules, setting standards & acting as a role model
- Umbrella organizations: support and guidance, education and training, funding incentives
- International federations & IOC: international competitions & guidelines (both binding and recommendations)
- Sports policy: funding & sanctions, guidelines & criteria for sports facilities
- Infrastructure & sports facility construction: diversity in every respect in new buildings; pragmatic solutions for existing facilities, support in planning, standards: ISO and ÖNORM
- …. and more?
Levels of inclusion
Sports organizations can act on the following levels to open up to people of all gender and sexual identities:
ACT!
What proactive measures can I take, how can I position myself as an open and diverse club/association?
For example …
- Represent and communicate a clear line as an association or organization – internally and externally: Clear and inviting statements externally (website, flyers) & a clear stance internally (mission statement, codes, statutes, voluntary commitments, clear procedure in cases of discrimination)
- Designate and publicize contact persons and contact persons
- Set actions & carry out campaigns, e.g. post statements on the rainbow parade, IDAHOT etc., take part in diversity action weeks, captain’s ribbons, prints on jerseys, banners that take a stand, hang up on the pitch
- Design checkroom, toilet and shower facilities that are as inclusive as possible and provide a safe environment for everyone (!)
REACT!
What do I do if there is a problem or a query?
For example …
- Openness & inquiries
- Ask about needs
- Invite & look for concrete solutions together
- Don’t make promises that can’t be kept
- There don’t have to be ready-made solutions yet – but openness to look at barriers together and break them down
- Offer buddies: Peers who accompany new club members, explain everything to them and are there to answer questions
SUPPORT!
How do I support LGBTIQ+ people in my association?
For example …
- Designate contact persons and make them public (posters in the square, website, etc.)
- Create retreats and safe spaces
- Raise general awareness of diversity and anti-discrimination among all association members (homo-, trans- and inter-hostility is not a problem for those affected by it, but for everyone!
- Taking the experiences and issues of LGBTIQ people seriously
- Make role model
- Ask whether and what kind of support is needed; seek dialog and show empathy
- Organize peer support
Checklist
The following measures can be implemented to break down barriers and enable gender diversity. It is not a question of implementing all of these measures and not all recommendations are equally relevant for all sports organizations. The point is to get ideas and pick out those measures that are relevant and feasible for your own organization and create your own small:
Public relations & offer: Creating a welcoming culture for all genders and sexualities
- Clear and inviting statements to the outside world (website, flyers): Explicitly address target groups on websites, flyers etc. – through words & images
- Visibility: Make gender diversity visible on information material and external appearance, but also internally and in the workplace or canteen
- Role models & identification: use role models in the club or in society to encourage people in their diversity (testimonials)
- Create new and perhaps own offers that are open to all
- Language: Use language that is as open as possible, appeals to everyone and does not convey gender stereotypes or discriminate (e.g. jokes or insults)
- Set actions & carry out campaigns
Inclusive and anti-discriminatory regulations, rules & documents: Protect all sports players from discrimination & abuse
- Sports ground rules for everyone who enters the sports facility
- Anchoring protection against discrimination in the statutes, mission statement or articles of association: e.g. anti-discrimination paragraphs
Every organization has something like an “organizational philosophy” that is reflected in statutes, bylaws or mission statements. These should also include clear statements against discrimination and in favor of diversity. It is important to specifically name forms of discrimination. Experience shows that the more general and “vague” something is formulated, the less organizations can be tied to it and the less it obliges them to act/be active.
For example: anti-discrimination paragraph in the association’s statutes:
Source: Statutes of ASK Erlaa Torpedo 03
Intervention and action plan for discriminatory and/or abusive incidents -> Make sure that everyone in the organization is aware of it!
Awareness and protection concepts are an essential tool for defining organization-specific guidelines, prevention measures and procedures in the event of assaults and communicating them within the association. Protection concepts cover many areas such as child protection, protection against sexualized violence or discrimination based on gender or sexuality. Women and girls as well as members of minorities or children are at an increased risk of becoming victims of assault and abuse due to power relations. Accordingly, these groups must be given clear preventative protection in order to provide as little breeding ground for violence as possible.
Examples:
=> 100% Sport, the Austrian Center for Gender Equality and Safe Sports, offers advice and support for the creation of protection concepts: Child protection through a protection concept
=> UEFA/ÖFB child protection courses
If possible, design competition regulations in such a way that everyone who meets the requirements can participate!
Due to the differences in how sports work and what contributes to top performance in a sport, solutions here can look very different! A few general thoughts:
=> Think about what categories are needed for an interesting competition and whether gender is a relevant category there -> Think about performance groups
=> Look at international comparisons – e.g. inclusive sporting rights of the German Football Association, performance group of Skate Austria, etc
Positive examples of national trade associations:
German Football Association
Skate Austria
The topic of regulations mainly concerns gender diversity, as most sports only allow men and women to participate in their competitions, and understand this differently. Sports are very different and everyone wants an interesting competition where athletes compete at a similar level. At the moment, there are no official regulations in most sports as to which competitions trans, inter or non-binary people can take part in, or there are no corresponding competitions. Other sports federations such as World Aquatics explicitly exclude people who change their (physical and legal) gender to their desired gender after puberty.
Revise documents and address everyone, e.g. adapt membership applications, forms, contracts, cover letters and other documents linguistically to a diverse realityIntervention and action plan in the event of discriminatory and/or abusive incidents -> Ensure that everyone in the organization is aware of this!
For Example: Consider the diverse realities of life in the registration form!
Application for club membership of ASK Erlaa Torpedo 03
Athletes, club members & employees: A safe training environment is everyone’s responsibility
- Raising awareness & educational measures: Train trainers and officials, raise awareness & provide them with tools
For example:
=> Request further training offers from umbrella and professional associations, contact external organizations (fairplay or these, depending on the topic). Bring training courses and workshops in-house, encourage and enable further training, cover costs if necessary
=> Verbände: Vielfalt, Gewaltschutz & Geschlechtervielfalt in den Trainer*innenausbildungen verankern - Code of Conduct for all members of the club (officials, coaches, staff, athletes, groundskeepers) Create awareness & educational measures: Train coaches and officials, raise awareness and provide them with tools
For example:
=> Sign the Charter for Gender Diversity! - Representation of the social groups represented in the association at all levels of the association: this is the only way to make decisions that take into account the perspectives of all association members
Encourage and consider women and girls, trans/inter/non-binary people (TINs), lesbians and gays, people with a history of migration and flight, different ages and different origins and religions to get involved not only as active participants but also as trainers, officials and chairpersons in clubs and associations. - Create contact persons / ombudspersons for problems who also take preventative action (protection of children and violence, discrimination, problems in the club or with peers, etc.).
For example:
=> the Austrian Football Association and the Austrian Football League have set up the “Football for All” association with the Homophobia Ombudsman’s Office. People in soccer who have questions about coming out or about homosexuality, being queer or trans, inter and non-binary in soccer in general can get in touch here. The ombudsman is Oliver Egger, who is one of the few active footballers to have come out. Folder “Football for all”
Everyday training: Creating an inclusive training routine where everyone can do sport
- Raising awareness among trainers: Training for all stakeholders involved on the topics of diversity & respect, gender diversity and anti-discrimination
- Always welcome new club members openly
- Offer buddies: Peers who accompany new club members, explain everything to them and are there to answer questions
- Take LGBTIQ* experiences and issues seriously & show empathy
- Create normality: everyone is there to do the sport
- Address problems/unclear dynamics straight away: for example, brief reflection when coming together at the end of training
For example: “At the beginning of training, immediately after the warm-up, coach M of soccer club Z always gets everyone together in a circle to briefly discuss the training plan for the session and briefly review the match from the previous weekend. After training, everyone always comes together in a circle and the coach says what she thought of the training session, what went well and what didn’t, and what’s coming up next. The players also always have the opportunity to say something or are sometimes addressed specifically. The meetings usually last less than a minute. Both – the meeting BEFORE and AFTER training – are also used if there are other topics to discuss or to communicate the club’s rules and forms of behavior. Potential problems can be discussed here.”
In order to be able to address issues, suitable places are needed for the first time. The example above shows how a coach can create space for problems or questions to arise and be discussed. If such “spaces for reflection” exist in everyday sports life, then problems are more likely to be addressed.
- Consider how to deal with possible questions and uncertainties from the team without putting the person concerned at fault
Zum Beispiel: A new person comes to training who is openly trans* and wants everyone to know that. As a club representative, how can I ensure that the “arrival” happens well and respectfully?
=> Think about how to work with the training group in advance and afterwards, how to “deal with the issue”: possibly involve selected other players in advance, discuss with the affected person
=> Give the team time to adjust to a new situation – and protect everyone from discrimination at the same time!
=> Involve the team and also give them the chance to ask questions, e.g. to the coach (not the new player!); always allow questions – but also respect them if they cannot/do not always want to be answered. The responsibility for answering questions on topics such as gender diversity is not the responsibility of those affected or must not leave those “affected” to answer/deal with them on their own
=> As normal as it is for you as a trainer, it is just as normal for your group! - Involve & inform everyone on the topic of inclusion & anti-discrimination: Canteen operators, groundskeepers and stewards are also part of the club culture and play a decisive role in shaping it!
- Parent work: Parents must be involved in communication – not to let them have a say in decisions, but to prevent possible misunderstandings and get them “on board”
- Introductions with names and pronouns (e.g. “I am Niki, my pronouns are she/you”, then it is clear that I want to be read as a woman)
Facilities & infrastructure: Check facilities for barriers for trans, inter and non-binary athletes and develop feasible, creative and sustainable solutions.
- Möglichst inklusive Garderoben-, Toiletten und Duschsituationen: Bereitstellung Inclusive checkroom, toilet and shower facilities wherever possible: Provide safe access to toilets and changing rooms, taking into account people with disabilities
For example: toilet signs
- Retreat and protective spaces
- Participation & representation: Designing rooms and sports fields together so that everyone can get involved and find themselves again: e.g. pictures of all the teams in the clubhouse, helping to design renovation work, painting and painting walls together, etc.
- Basically fair distribution of training times (taking into account the performance level): the same number of good training times for all teams – boys and girls, etc. Otherwise, as a club, I convey a value and devalue some (mostly girls and women)!
- Unisex jerseys & training clothes – most people feel comfortable in them!
Open & diverse sports and club culture: Create a culture of support and respect
- Open discussion and conversation culture: generally talk about topics that affect players, even if they are not related to sport in the strict sense
- Enable participation
- Avoid hierarchies/authoritarian relationships
- Let the individual year groups/teams elect “team spokespersons” who can collect and pass on problems/topics/concerns
Kooperationen
- Invite experts for workshops with the athletes – e.g. fair play workshops or Life Goals project from Kicken ohne Grenzen
- Inclusion of the LGBTIQ+ community through joint friendly games, tournaments, invitations: personal contact and getting to know each other reduces prejudices and fears
- Support local queer events, e.g. B. the pride parades
- As an association, we see ourselves as part of a larger community and include institutions and people in the neighborhood